I play the violin, orchestral percussion, piano and recently started drums too. I have one-to-one violin and percussion lessons in school and I am working towards my Grade 2 percussion, Grade 3 piano and Grade 5 violin this term. At King’s we have a beautiful music block to play in, with lots of instruments and practice space. It’s amazing to be able to play the full percussion suite in the auditorium as well as some unusual instruments that we all get to try like the tubular bells or the cajon. At home I just use cushions to practice the timpani which works well, especially for the rest of my family! I absolutely love the fact that there are so many different groups we can be a part of at King’s, which also exposes us to many different genres of music. This year I have been able to play in King’s Strings, Sinfonia orchestra, a jazz band, the percussion ensemble and also sing in the Junior Chamber Choir. Because we play before school, at lunch or after school, it’s not too hard to fit it all in across the week. We do a lot of concerts throughout the year. Just before Christmas we did an amazing gala concert with all the schools from the Foundation forming a huge choir and it was an incredible experience for me to see so many talented musicians. We even performed a haka which surprised everyone! The Jazz, Rock and Pop concert was a new experience for me this year, and it was an incredible evening to be a part of. The skill of the different jazz singers, instrumentalists, rock bands and soloists just blew me away. I’d love to play at that standard one day. We also recently had the Young Musician of the Year competition, which gave me the opportunity to get feedback from a professional musician. The teachers we get to work with are incredible – they bring new groups together, they arrange music specially for us, teach us improvisation, accompany us in solos and exams, and teach us everything they know. They are all super talented and very inspiring and supportive, which makes it all a lot of fun. In Year 7, I have also been lucky enough to try out the bassoon as part of the instrumental scheme which is something completely new for me as I’ve never tried a wind instrument before. We practise in instrument groups with the specialist teachers, and then we come together in the auditorium to play the pieces together as a class. We are all attempting something new so it’s a very supportive atmosphere. Recently we were tasked with composing our own piece, finding new ways to play our instruments. It started off as a haunted house theme and somehow transformed into a samba party by the end! At the end of the year we will be performing in a concert for our parents on our new instruments!